Love in the Ice
by SakuraAngel001
Summary: What becomes of a broken heart? Especially one that has never fully healed?    Kagome Higurashi discovers that with great power, also comes misery and solitude.    She reunites with old friends and finds new ones along the way...
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I own…nada. Nada, nada, limonada! (_)

Love in the Ice

By: Sakura Angel

Chapter 1: Resonant

'_Can you feel me?'_

Kagome shook her head as she continued running; shielding her face by holding her arms up as she ran through the dark, thick forest.

Her heartbeat was quickening with every pant; the cold sweat dripping down her back.

'_Coursing through your veins, into your heart…into your very soul?'_

Tears began to well up in her eyes as she ran further, and further away from this feeling…

_No, please…_

SNAP!

THUD!

An exposed tree root, which she had failed to see through the tears, merely caught her off guard as her head connected with the cold, hard ground below.

A sharp pain in her head blurred her vision, as well as the falling tears staining her dirtied face. She began to move her legs, only to find out that they felt like lead.

Kagome rolled on her side to get a better look at her legs, only to gasp at the sight before her.

The forest behind her was engulfed in black flames and emerging from these flames, was a dark figure, also engulfed in black flames, crawling on its belly, pulling on her legs to drag her in.

"NO PLEASE, STOP!" Kagome shouted from the top of her lungs as she struggled to get her legs free.

The figure laughed viciously, as Kagome reached for the root from which she had tripped. She held on tightly with her eyes closed, as the figured continued laughing and pulling.

"Do you think you can escape your fate? _Your reality_?" The figure said in a cruel, but familiar voice.

Kagome opened her eyes, still holding on, but refusing to look at the creature consuming her.

"I won't give in! I-I won't!" She shouted.

"Do you refuse to believe that this is what you will face?" The creature sneered.

Kagome said nothing, merely hanging on to the root for dear life, as her knuckles became bone-white from the sheer grip.

"This is you! This is your heartache; your anger, your fears, your hatred! You who stood silently and bottled these emotions inside! It was you who DID THIS TO ME!" It shouted.

Kagome's heart sped up as she slowly turned around to look at the creature over her shoulder.

Her eyes opened wide as her mouth slightly fell open…

She was staring at herself.

The kind, bright blue eyes were darkened and filled with so much hate and resentment. Her usual smile was replaced with an evil snarl. Her long neat hair was curtained around her face in a mess, and along the side of her face were black markings. Her arms and her face were splattered with blood.

Kagome couldn't tear herself away from the horrific sight.

"LOOK AT ME!" The other Kagome screeched, echoing through the night.

"_**LOOK AT ME!" **_

Kagome bolted up from her sleeping bag and glanced around in the darkness of Kaede's hut. Only to discover that it wasn't the same darkness that was consuming her in her nightmare.

She visibly shuddered as she could still hear the resonant screech of the Kagome in her dream and secretly wondered why the dreams have been plaguing her and becoming even more vivid than the last.

"Kagome?"

Kagome jumped up at the sound of her name and glanced nervously to her right, only to stare directly at her best friend's concerned face.

"Are you alright?" Sango whispered.

Kagome nodded numbly and waved her hand.

"Yeah, just a bad dream…that's all," Kagome whispered back. She glanced around again, but it was then that she noticed that Inuyasha was no longer in the room.

"Where is he?" Kagome asked quietly.

"I'm not sure," Sango shrugged, as she looked at Kagome with sympathy. Kagome knew what that look meant, because Sango's guess was the same as hers…

…he was probably somewhere with Kikyo.

"Oh," Was all Kagome could say, as she began to lie back down. Shippo, who was lying next to her, twitched his tail in his sleep and snuggled closer to her for more warmth. Kagome rested her head against his and sighed.

Her heart slowly breaking at the sight of his absence...

"Hey Sango…"

Sango glanced up from straightening the clothes on the clothing line. The breeze was exceptionally great on that clear afternoon, which prompted Sango to do some laundry.

Kagome simply helped out along the way. She was currently holding a basket filled with already washed clothes.

"Yeah, Kagome?" Sango answered curiously. Kagome had rarely spoken a word all day, and Sango blamed that mostly on Inuyasha, since he had yet to return back to the village.

"Do you think it's okay for me to go home for a couple of more days? I kind of have to be there for my new school and all…" Kagome fidgeted her feet while waiting on an answer.

Sango paused and thought about it for a moment. Normally, she would ask Inuyasha about going home, but seeing as he was not here and Naraku was seriously injured somewhere…

"Of course you can," Sango said with a smile as Kagome's face lit up with delight. It was one of those moments in which she enjoyed Kagome's pure happiness.

"Thank you," Kagome chimed with a one-armed hug as Sango continued hanging up clothes. She placed the basket onto the ground next to Sango before running off to go get her backpack inside the hut.

"Kagome-sama, is something the matter?" Miroku asked when she entered the hut in a hurry.

"Oh no, not at all. I'm just going home for a few days. I start my first day at my new school tomorrow," Kagome said eagerly as she packed up her things into the large yellow backpack.

"Well, I wish you the best of luck then," Even though there wasn't a lot that he knew about schools in the future, Miroku still smiled warmly at his beautiful, happy companion.

Kagome rushed to the door, but before leaving out she said: "Tell Shippo that I will bring him some more goodies, okay?"

Miroku nodded and waved as Kagome ran out of the hut and into the familiar forest. Halfway in the trees, Kagome stopped as she detected a familiar aura following her; she smiled.

Right behind her was a small neko youkai sprinting towards her. It leapt up and landed gingerly on her shoulder.

"Hello, Kirara. Sango told you to keep an eye on me, right?" She nuzzled Kagome's cheek and then mewled in response.

Kagome giggled and began walking towards the well. When it was in sight, Kirara hopped off Kagome's shoulder and waited patiently nearby. Kagome walked towards the well and carefully adjusted the backpack on her back before climbing on.

She turned towards Kirara and gave her a smile.

"I'll see you in a few days," Kagome said as she climbed over the lip and hopped into the well.

As she jumped in, the familiar, comfortable, warm light engulfed her as she made her journey through time; Kagome released a contented sigh.

Light; always her sanctuary….

Dark; always his sanctuary….

But it was the rare exception that this familiar darkness was giving him a headache.

The large, dark room was quiet, despite the fact that the room had seven people in it. They were sitting patiently on cushions, waiting for someone to speak.

Four of them were seated along the walls on both sides with small tables; two on each side with adequate space in between them. While the other three people sat up front, without tables and were facing the other four in the room.

The Council was wearing everyone's patience thin….

"If you have something to say, then I suggest that you say it quickly. Otherwise you are wasting your time," Said a deep voice, impatiently from the left side of the room.

The person seated in the middle of the three up front, nodded in agreement.

"Then I shall be short with this," He said.

There was a brief silence, but then:

"It has come to our attention that the hanyou, Naraku has been significantly causing problems within the Four Lands," The man stated.

The four in front of him, all nodded in silent agreement and waited for the man to continue.

"He must be dealt with, immediately. Before more problems arise."

There was another silence, but then someone from the left wall slowly, stood up from their seat.

"If I may…" Started the same deep voice from before; he waited until the three members in front of the room nodded, so that he could continue.

He turned his attention to the person sitting directly across from him on the right wall.

"Sesshoumaru-sama, is this hanyou really a threat to the Lands? The last I've heard, was that you were currently hunting him, am I right?" The voice said with concern.

Everyone's attention was quickly turned from the standing being, to the one sitting across from him, as if they were demanding an explanation.

Sesshoumaru nodded quietly.

"I have been hunting him for some time, yes." Sesshoumaru stated in an obvious manner.

Everyone waited for him to continue, but when he did not, the other person spoke.

"But is he really a threat? I highly doubt that something so weak could cause an uproar within the Four Lands. Unless you are incapable-"

In less than a blink of an eye, Sesshoumaru was in front of the standing figure, drawing his sword. But before Sesshoumaru could react, the head councilman raised his hand and created an invisible shield between the two, causing Sesshoumaru to jump back instead.

Sesshoumaru growled angrily at the other person, before putting his sword back in his sash.

"Lord of the West…Lord of the South. This is a neutral territory, as you both know, and thus you should behave accordingly," Chided the head councilman.

Sesshoumaru and the other lord never took their eyes off of one another as they both headed back to their seats.

"Yuchun-sama," Sesshoumaru warned as he took his seat back into the shadows.

"Sesshoumaru-sama," Yuchun warned back, as he too sat down.

The head councilman sighed irritably as he looked at the other two lords in the room, expecting some sort of fight to break out.

Another sigh could be heard from the right side of the room, except that it was not from Sesshoumaru, but rather the lord next to him.

"If this hanyou is really a threat, should we be concerned about the safety of the Four Houses themselves?" A calm, seductive voice asked.

The three councilmen faced each other and pondered the lord's question. They seemed to have come to an agreement about it and turned to face the lords once again.

"It is very likely, that he would want the Four Houses for himself. They are the four powers that control these lands."

The lord chuckled as he locked his hands behind his head and leaned back comfortably.

"The hanyou could _try_ to get into my lands, but he will find himself _less_ than successful."

The councilman on the left jumped up quickly from the shadows; his whole body shaking with physical anger.

"Jejun-sama, this is not the time to jest! The hanyou could be a serious threat to the Four Houses! What do you think will happen if just _one_ of the houses fell into Naraku's hands?" He cried.

The Northern Lord moved his hands from behind his head, and leaned forward on his table to rest his chin upon them.

"Then tell me, _dear council_…what do you suggest we do?" Jejun said sarcastically, and then his tone became more serious.

"Sesshoumaru-sama has been tracking him for some time and I have no doubt that the hanyou you speak of, is getting stronger by the day…because if he wasn't, he would have been vanquished by now! So tell me, oh knowledgeable council…how do you destroy an enemy that constantly gets stronger? The smartest thing to do for now, is to increase our land patrols and place better defenses around the Houses."

Once again, silence fell upon the room as the stunned councilman sat back down on his pillow, and for several moments the room's inhabitants reflected on Jejun's words.

Then silently, the remaining lord stood; the Eastern Lord.

"The foolish thing to do is to attack him offensively," His soft voice stated wisely.

Yuchun faced the other lord and looked up at his shadowed face, although he could tell that the lord's expression was that of worry.

"Then should we wait for him to attack us directly? Surely, he would be able to grasp the Houses easily that way, Junsu-sama. If he fights us on our lands, then the Houses will definitely be jeopardized!" Yuchun spat.

Junsu shook his head as he sat back down.

"But should we go out to attack him directly, that will certainly leave the Houses open for an ambush-"

"It is a no-win situation, nonetheless," Sesshoumaru stated.

"Agreed," Yuchun admitted. "But is it wise to let him approach us?"

"Perhaps…since we will be the ones with the advantage," Junsu pondered.

"But we will be at a disadvantage should we fail," Jejun added.

"Which is why I chose to track him instead," Sesshoumaru said darkly, which led everyone to think that his tracking was more on a personal level, instead of just land protection.

The Council slowly stood up and bowed to the four lords.

"This pressing issue needs more deliberating, since we need a new way to approach this. We humbly thank you for your time and hope that you will have a safe journey home," The head councilman said as the three disappeared into thin air.

It was then the four lords' turns to stand up and leave. They all stood and watched an imp youkai servant slide open the door. It bowed to each lord as they left out of the Council's room and into the vast, dimly lit corridor.

At the end of the large hallway, there stood four different figures, all wearing black kimonos, waiting silently against the walls by a large oak door. As soon as the four lords approached them, they all bowed and cleared a path for the lords to leave out the door first; they followed right behind.

Yuchun, leading the group, opened the door leading to the outside and was greeted with bright, warm sunshine as they all stepped out into the entrance garden.

The four other youkai stepped out and approach their waiting lords. Two were male and the other two were female.

The two males stood next to the Eastern and Northern lords, while the females went with the Western and Southern lords.

"Should we be on high alert then, Junsu-sama?" One of the males asked, his dark hazel eyes shining with concern in the sunlight.

"For now, we will keep a close eye on the lands. Changmin, I want you to inform the guards," Junsu ordered.

"Yes, my lord," Changmin bowed as he began to glow with a bright white light; he disappeared immediately in a tiny ball of light and drifted away.

"There's no telling where he could be hiding…so Yunho, I want you to do the same," Jejun also ordered. The male next to him bowed.

"Of course, my lord," Yunho said as he flashed a small smirk; he vanished in a quick flare of flames.

"Ayaka, informed the guards to keep a close watch on the border line," Yuchun said.

Ayaka sighed, before rolling her eyes. Yuchun raised an eyebrow at her as she folded her arms.

"Fine, fine." Ayaka huffed, as she reached into her sleeve. She pulled out a small blade of grass, and disappeared in a breeze among the waves of grassland.

"Kiyomi, inform the guards as well and I want you to keep a closer watch on Rin," Sesshoumaru said impassively.

"Yes, my lord," Kiyomi bowed, before she burst into tiny drops of water and evaporated into the sky.

Jejun waited until Kiyomi disappeared before he spoke.

"How's Rin, by the way? I rarely get the see dear girl, nowadays..." He said as he combed his fingers through his short black hair; his purple eyes shining playfully. Everyone in the Four Lands, including the Council, was aware of Rin and thought that she was very…interesting.

"She is well," Sesshoumaru said curtly, leaving no room for conversation.

Once again, Jejun locked his hands behind his head and looked towards the sky.

"Aww, I really do miss her. I don't suppose she could tag along for next meeting?" He asked.

"No, not likely." Sesshoumaru growled. Jejun was a notorious womanizer and Sesshoumaru didn't want Rin to be around him.

Not because he was worried of what he could do to Rin, because Jejun treated her like a little sister…but because of the company he kept around him; rather his large harem.

Jejun raised his hands defensively and sighed. "You're still mad about that, huh?"

Sesshoumaru glared as Jejun pouted. Sometimes Jejun was a complete idiot and really knew how to piss people off; like Sesshoumaru for instance.

Jejun sighed depressively as Junsu began to turn and leave.

"If any problems arise, feel free to ask the Eastern lands for assistance. I would be honored to help out any of you," Junsu said softly with a small bow. He then began to glow and instantly transformed into an enormous tiger, before running off towards the East with a roar.

Jejun turned and faced the other two lords, before bowing farewell to them.

"I, myself, as well. If there is a chance to take down this hanyou, then I will be more than happy to help out. I shall send Rin a present, when I get the chance," Jejun added with a smirk, before also glowing. The glow eventually faded and revealed a massive black dragon, which swiftly glided through the trees heading towards the North.

Yuchun nodded at Sesshoumaru before he glowed, revealing a gigantic dark brown wolf. It huffed before rushing off towards the Southern lands.

It was then Sesshoumaru's turn to transform and when he did, he wasted no time in rushing back to the Western lands, in order to strategize on how to completely destroy Naraku.

It was becoming more complicated just to vanquish him…

"Oh, man. I really don't understand this."

For the millionth time, Kagome stared at the math problem in front of her and groaned. She took adequate notes AND actually stared at the teacher as he was talking, but for some reason, she couldn't focus.

For some reason, all she could think about was…

_Her._

"Hey, do you need help with that?"

The classroom was nearly empty; most of the students had left out to go eat lunch outside. So hearing another person's voice merely caught her off guard.

"Um, I guess so. I mean you really don't have t-" Kagome looked over her shoulder, and her jaw nearly hit the floor.

Standing there, waving with a large smile…was a face that she had not seen in years.

Her short, shoulder length brown hair was tucked neatly behind her ears and her chocolate eyes sparkled with excitement. She silently fidgeted with the sleeves of her navy blue blazer, hoping that Kagome would recognize her.

Kagome stood up and gave the girl a large hug.

"Kaname, it's been a while! I had no idea that you were in this school," Kagome said excitedly as she grasped the other girl's hands.

Kaname's smile grew larger.

"Yeah, actually I'm in your class. I've been sitting behind you this whole time," Kaname chuckled as she pointed at her seat. "I was almost afraid that you wouldn't recognize me. But I guess I was wrong."

Kagome grinned. "How could I ever forget you? You helped us out a lot in the Sengoku Jidai."

Kaname blushed as she began fidgeting with the hem of her skirt. "Oh, it was nothing. But I should be thanking you. You guys help me to realize my power, and I couldn't have done it without you. Besides, how is everyone?"

Kagome then proceeded to tell her about everyone and what they've been up to, and about how Naraku was currently getting stronger. By the time Kagome finished, it was time to start class again, in which Kaname managed to trade seats with the boy next her.

Kagome and Kaname exchanged phone numbers and addresses after class. They then walked with each other to the school's gates and were ready to say their goodbyes, when they've noticed something strange.

They looked up and saw a girl standing on the gates of the school; facing away from them, looking at the sky. She was clad in their navy blue school uniform and had short dark hair. She seemed to be waiting on something.

They both glanced around at everyone, but no one else seemed to have noticed the girl on the gates.

"Um, that's strange," Kagome said. Kaname nodded in agreement.

Then both of them flinched when the girl glared at them from over her shoulder.

"So you can see her, huh?" A silky voice asked. They both turned around to see a girl with long black hair walk towards them.

She stopped in front of them and then disappeared. She then reappeared behind them and placed her hands on both of their shoulders.

"Smart girls. Although, it did take you a while to catch on," She said lazily with a lady-like yawn.

"What is she doing up there?" Kaname asked curiously to the long haired girl.

The girl smiled as they all turn to stare at the waiting girl. The long haired girl laughed darkly as she gazed at the two in front of her.

"I knew it. You two haven't even Awakened yet," She jeered as she walked passed them to stand beneath the other waiting girl. Instantly and effortlessly, she hopped on top and was standing next to the schoolgirl.

"Let's go," She said in a serious tone as she raised her hand. A long, bright purple line materialized in front of them, and one after another, they stepped in; vanishing into thin air.

The both of them stood there blinking, in total confusion.

"Awakened? What does that mean?" Kagome asked as she and Kaname exchanged looks.

They both shrugged and were beginning to leave out of the gates when suddenly it felt as though all of the air was knocked out of their lungs. Deafening silence flooded their ears as their visions began to blur the world around them; a wave of dizziness crashed upon them. They could feel themselves falling, despite the fact that they were still standing…

Immediately everything went black…


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Um…nope. I've got nothing. Maybe Jejun-sama…but he's an idiot, so I might go for Changmin~ 3

Love in the Ice

By: Sakura Angel

Chapter Two: The Path to Everything

"Hey… hey! Will you wake up already? Geez, you sleep like a rock or something…"

Kagome struggled to open her eyes, but couldn't, as a numbing sensation washed over her body.

Suddenly, she felt a small sting on her arm; someone was pinching her.

"Ow!" Kagome cried as she sat up and rubbed her arm. She glanced around as the offender walked away, towards a large bleeding creature.

A huge chunk on its side was missing, exposing the bones of its ribs, causing the vast majority of the pool of blood on the ground. Its eyes were wide open, yet it had tears of blood flowing from them. It was so mangled beyond repair, that it was impossible to believe that it was once a lizard youkai.

It was wheezing for air before it flinched at the person walking towards it. Long black hair swished back and forth as the tall, slender figure approached its face; it was the girl from school.

She crouched on the ground to get a better look at the youkai's face and placed a hand under her chin.

"You know…you look really pathetic right now," She said cruelly. She then cocked her head to the side and stared at Kagome, her bright green eyes mocking the confused girl.

"It's actually kinda…cute."

At that moment, the youkai released a horrible, piercing screech before the schoolgirl kicked it brutally in the head; practically crushing its skull.

"So, adorable little miko…would you like to finish it, or should I?"

Kagome blinked for a couple of seconds, unsure of whether to accept the compliment, answer the question or stay in complete shock, before the other girl stood up and sighed irritably.

"Fine, I'll do it. I just thought that I should be nice for once." She walked calmly over to the youkai and held her hand out in front of her.

Kagome stared in complete awe, as the girl waved her hand slowly across the youkai; disintegrating it in the process. Then, it was gone.

"Seriously? You've got to be kidding me…" The girl said as she pulled at her uniform; examining it. It was covered in blood splatters, which were drying very rapidly.

"I've just ordered a new one yesterday! Stupid youk-" She looked up to see Kagome gazing at her from the ground. "Oh, yeah. You're still here," She mumbled.

She walked over to Kagome and stood in front of her with her arms crossed; tapping her foot impatiently.

Then after a moment:

"Can you get up or what?" She asked impatiently.

Kagome shook her head. "No, I really can't."

The girl uncrossed her arms, while uttering a few curse words, and held out her hand for Kagome to grab.

Kagome grasped it firmly and was pulled up. But as quickly as she was pulled up, she immediately fell…and unfortunately, landed on top of the other girl.

"Oh, dear Kami…today really isn't your day, is it?" She shouted angrily as Kagome was laying on her chest…her very large chest…

Kagome blushed furiously as the girl quickly shoved her off.

"Wow, we just went to third base…and I've only known you for like…fifteen minutes," The girl said as she stood up and brushed herself off.

"No, it's not like that-" Kagome spluttered.

The girl began to chuckle as she looked at Kagome's blushing form.

"Relax, miko. I was only joking, that's all," The girl said as she leaned over to check Kagome. "Are you hurt in any way?"

"No, I just feel really heavy for some reason." Kagome stated. The girl nodded as she proceeded to grab Kagome by the waist to hoist her up.

"Alright, I'm going to carry you. So, don't say that I haven't done anything nice for you, okay?" The girl huffed.

Kagome nodded as the girl adjusted her onto her back. Kagome embraced the girl's neck, as the girl held onto Kagome's legs on both sides.

"Please tell me that Shiori isn't far," She sighed as she began to walk along the empty street. It was the first time that Kagome took in her surroundings.

The sun was setting in the burnt orange sky and the quiet neighborhood was littered with apartments. From what Kagome could guess, she could only assume that she was on the outskirts of the town.

"Where are we? And how did I get here? The last thing I remembered was that I was trying to go home and then everything went black," Kagome explained.

The girl released a deep sigh. "Listen, you are a miko. Are you not?"

Kagome nodded.

"Then it is safe to assume that you do not have a Sensei, right?"

"Yeah…"

"Oh, great…a miko without a teacher," The girl cheered sarcastically. But before Kagome could retort, the girl spoke again.

"You're going through a certain change of sorts…" The girl trailed off as she left Kagome to her thoughts.

It was silent for a couple of moments, but then Kagome broke out of her reverie as she digested the new piece of information.

"Hey…about what you've said back at the school…" Kagome said slowly.

The girl nodded for her to continue.

"You said something about being Awakened, and now you're talking about changes. What does this all mean?" Kagome asked curiously.

"Unfortunately, for you, I have a huge headache and now a backache to even tell you what they all mean," The girl groaned as she continued to walk.

After a few minutes, they could both see two figures advancing towards them in the street; one walking, while the other was being carried on its back.

"Hey, Shiori!" The girl called out as she sped up her pace towards them. It was then that Kagome realized it was the other schoolgirl and the person on her back was none other than, Kaname.

The girl named Shiori stopped as they approached her, while she allowed Kaname to her fall on her butt onto the asphalt. Shiori was panting and was covered in a thin sheen of sweat; her short, dark hair being glued to her face.

"Ahhh, HEY!" Kaname shouted as she glared up at Shiori. "At least give me some kind of warning," She uttered as she rubbed her sore rear; Shiori glared down at her.

"Whatever," Was all she said to Kaname, before turning her attention to the other girl. "Sakura, can we please go home now?" Her soft voice would've sound beautiful, if there wasn't a certain bitterness to it.

"Yeah, okay. But let's drop off these two troublemakers first, ne?" Sakura said as she held out her hand in front of her once again.

And for the second time, Kaname and Kagome witnessed as the same vertical bright, purple line slowly materialized in front of them.

"What is that?" Kagome asked as she peered around Sakura's head.

Sakura kept her eyes focused to the growing line, but smirked at Kagome's question. "You ask way too many questions, little miko. But it is the Path to Everything…a purple transport line, if you will."

"Wow," Kagome whispered in wonder, as she and Kaname looked on in awe.

"You can have one too…if you keep up your training, that is," Sakura said as she took a step forward into the line.

Kagome closed her eyes, waiting for something drastic to happen. But instead she was graced with the sound of voices. Millions of voices; all of which were talking and echoing off of the walls...

Kagome slowly opened her eyes and glanced around. The place was dark and had no other source of light, with the exception of a long, soft glowing purple line running along the floor, making a pathway of sorts, leading straight ahead. And yet the voices never ceased.

"Amazing," Kagome heard someone say behind her, before looking back and realizing that it was Kaname, who was on Shiori's back again.

The vertical purple line, which they had used as an entrance, was no longer there; which gave Kagome the sensation that she was trapped in a room with no doors.

Her breathing intensified as she comprehended that there was no escape…that this could possibly be a trap. The possibility of that had never occurred to her before…

She felt an odd chill go down her spine, as it dawned on her that she was trusting complete strangers. On top of that, strangers with strange powers…

"Do you ever relax, little miko? Geez, I can feel you tense up back there," Sakura scoffed as she was walking along the purple line.

Kagome blushed as she relaxed just a little bit. "Oh, sorry…I didn't mean-"

"And are you really this apologetic? Because if you are, then I'm the one who should feel sorry for you," Sakura teased.

Kagome caught herself, by biting her lip, before apologizing again. She decided to change the subject, since there was a question burning her in her mind.

"Um, Sakura…was it?"

"Yeah…?"

"How could you tell that we were mikos?" Kagome asked seriously.

Sakura began to chuckle at the question in hand.

How untrained are these two girls, anyway? Sakura inwardly laughed.

"Well, your aura for one. Plus the fact that we are mikos ourselves…just not the good kind, like you or Whiny back there."

Kagome blinked owlishly at the girl, of which she was presently riding on. There was no way she could've heard that right…

Right?

"So…you're dark mikos…?" Kagome inquired carefully, unsure of what to think.

"Yep," Was all Sakura said, as the silence installed itself between the four girls.

Was that a good thing or a bad thing?

Certainly, they haven't tried to kill them. They were rude, yes…but they haven't made any attempts on their lives, yet. Or were they merely setting them up for something else? Perhaps a sacrifice…or maybe they wanted their powers?

Sakura once again felt the girl on her back tense again, and sighed heavily.

"Listen, you. I want nothing from you, okay? So, whatever it is your thinking, get it out of your mind, okay? Because you are killing my back!" Sakura cried.

"But how do I know whether I should trust you or not?" Kagome shouted angrily into Sakura's ear; gripping her shoulders tightly.

"Because!" Sakura snapped over her shoulder. "Just…because! I don't know why you should, but…just do it anyway, okay?"

"No way, you psycho! There's no way I'm trusting two dark mikos to take me somewhere, without a reason! I'm not an idiot," Kagome accused as Sakura stopped.

She placed her hand out front, but this time made an angry sideways slashing motion in front of her; immediately a bright, purple slash appeared.

But before Kagome knew it, she was picked up and tossed into the line and flinched when she heard another, "oomph" beside her.

They both looked up to see Shiori glaring and Sakura waving at them as the line slowly vanished.

"It should wear off in a couple of hours…in the meantime, you should get reacquainted with the floor," Sakura sneered.

Then, the line was completely gone. The room was mostly silent, due to the astonishment.

Kaname was the first to recover from her shock as she took notice of the place that they were in.

"Is this your room...?" Kaname asked as she gazed at the bed beside her.

Kagome blinked several times, to also recover from the shock as she looked around.

"Yeah, it is," She said impressively.

I guess she was right, after all. Kagome thought. But then something Sakura said rang a bell in Kagome's head.

"Hey! We can't move for a couple of hours?" Kagome cried as she gazed at Kaname, who nodded sadly. She tried to move her legs once again, but to no avail.

"What should we do until then?" Kaname asked. She didn't like this predicament at all, nor the circumstances in which they came there, but she was somewhat grateful, nonetheless.

However, Kaname swore silently that the next time she should see the two…she was definitely going to give them a dose of her power.

"I don't know…" Kagome whispered as she stared out of the window at the darkened, nighttime sky.

"Kagome?"

Kagome turned to look at Kaname, as she chose the stare at the floor with a small blush gracing her cheeks.

"I forgot to ask…about Sesshoumaru-sama. How is he?" Kaname asked quietly.

Kagome tilted her head to the side at Kaname's question; it was a very odd question, considering that it came out of the blue. Not to mention the subject of the question itself.

"Um, well…he's fine, I guess. I haven't seen him since the last time we fought Naraku, and he did help out a lot. So, I guess he's okay."

Kaname nodded; satisfied with her friend's answer.

"Thank you," Kaname said as she rested her head against Kagome's mattress, her eyes slowly closing due to the lack of energy.

"Sure," Kagome said, uncertain as to why she was being thanked. She watched as Kaname drifted off to sleep, before deciding that it was the only option she had while being trapped on the floor.

Kagome closed her eyes as she replayed the events of the day over in her head.

For once, she fully welcomed the darkness as she began to fall asleep.

"Do you think that we'll ever see them again?"

Kagome looked up from the text message on her phone. It was after school and apparently, Yuka and Eri had set her up on another blind date with a boy in their class, which Kagome was less than thrilled to go on, since she was still only interested in one guy…

…and that one guy was still chasing after his former love.

"Well, they do go to this school. So, we might run into them again…unfortunately," Kagome said as she snapped her phone shut. It had a cute little white dog keychain dangling from the side of it, as she was reminded that the phone was a graduation gift from her family.

"We need to be prepared, don't you think?" Kaname asked. It had been two days, since their last encounter with the pair of dark mikos.

Kagome nodded as they walked out of the school gates; a feeling of déjà vu washing over them again. The clouds overhead were already darkened due to the oncoming thunderstorm, but it gave the two friends an eerie feeling, regardless.

They began to walk towards Kagome's house, since it was closer and could protect them from the storm, when suddenly they were grabbed out of nowhere.

Someone was pulling their hands, as they both realized that they were not being kidnapped, but rather being led away by a tall, long haired girl.

Sakura was running as she dragged them along.

"C'mon you idiots! Can't you run faster than this?" She yelled.

"What are you doing and why are we running?" Kagome said in between pants as she increased her pace; Kaname did the same.

"I'm saving your sorry asses, because you two idiots were about to be attacked! Are you really that oblivious to the world around you?" Sakura panted as she continued running.

Kagome and Kaname exchanged looks as they both did their best to keep up with her without being dragged.

"What was about to attack us?" Kaname asked with concerned, despite the fact that she was still pissed off at their last encounter.

Sakura glanced over her shoulder and gestured right behind her. "That."

The two girls looked right behind them and gasped as a large, blue snake youkai slithered its way toward them, gaining speed as it did.

They all began to run even faster, as they could feel the snake's breath upon their backs. A figure was quickly emerging from the middle of the street in front of them as the three girls drew near it.

"Shiori!" Sakura cried. Shiori nodded as she held out both of her hands in a defensive manner. Her hands were glowing with a sinister green light.

They were a few feet in front of her, when Sakura shouted, "Now!"

Shiori released the green light, but as she did, Sakura leapt up and hopped over her to avoid it and allowed the momentum from their running to boost Kagome and Kaname past either side of Shiori and her attack.

The rain began to fall heavily as they all skidded to a stop to access the damage. Shiori's attack had knocked the demon out cold, as it was still lying on the ground breathing, but bleeding from its head; the blood being slowly washed away by the rain into nearby drains.

"Oh, man…that was close. Nice one," Sakura said to Shiori as she went to go get a closer look at the unconscious demon.

However, their victory was short lived as the demon growled and twitched in the middle of the street; quickly regaining consciousness.

"We need to get out of here and fast," Sakura said as she rushed back to the three other girls, she nodded at Shiori, who nodded back in understanding.

Shiori's dark eyes darted along the ground as she searched for something desperately, while the three other girls watched the youkai awake from its slumber.

"Shiori…" Sakura warned as they took several steps back; the snake was opening its eyes.

"I know," Shiori said quickly as she continued to search the ground.

"Shiori…" Sakura said urgently as the youkai began to raise its head. Shiori was now searching frantically behind them.

"I know, I know!"

The youkai's eyes started to regain focus, as it growled ferociously at the four schoolgirls with its sharp teeth being bared. It was ready to strike…

"SHIORI!" Sakura shouted as the snake drew back its head.

"Found it!" Shiori cried as she pulled Sakura's hand, which quickly grasped Kaname's hand, which quickly found Kagome's own, as the all fell into a small hole in the street.

As they were falling into the dark hole, Kaname and Kagome realized that it was not a hole that they had fallen into, but rather a small puddle of water.

The darkness, in which they were continually plummeting in, suddenly lit up around them in a familiar, warm light. Their fall was being slowed down, significantly.

"What's happening?" Kaname asked as she glanced around at the others. All of them shrugged, as they took in the sight around them. But as quickly as it came, the light disappeared and left them in a free fall towards obscurity, in which all of them began to scream.

Immediately, the screams stopped as Kagome felt something cold and wet hit her face. The sound of thunder could be heard above.

Rain? She wondered.

She could've sworn that she was falling just a second ago.

She struggled to move as the lead sensation returned to her body again, so she tried to open her eyes.

Her vision was once again, blurred, as she felt herself slipping into an unconscious state.

But before her eyes could fully close, she could've swore that the blurred sight in front of her was that of Kaede's hut….


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I own nothing~! I would like to own a bakery…but I'm stuck with Sakura and Shiori, instead (which really aren't good bakers). Great… (_);;;;;

A/N: Thank you for all of the wonderful comments and reviews; they've really brightened up my day! Sorry for posting this late...Valentine's day is coming up, and I have a lot of chocolate covered strawberries to make. (T_T)

Happy reading and "AKTF"…we'll be waiting~! 3

Love in the Ice

By: Sakura Angel

Chapter Three: Captured

"W-where…am I?"

Kagome felt so comfortable and warm, yet her mind was fuzzy; as though someone had stuffed it with soft, fluffy cotton.

She glanced around and noticed the she was in a large, unfamiliar room. The dimly lit room had a few lit torches in the corners of the walls, but the room was so massive that they hardly provided adequate viewing light.

It was then that Kagome had seen the floor, which was covered with different varieties of black and red silk pillows. And as she moved, she became aware of the fact that she was wrapped in a red silk sheet…only a red silk sheet.

Kagome slowly peered underneath the sheet…praying to the gods that she was wearing some type of clothing.

A large blush crept its way up to her face.

Nope.

Oh, Kami-sama… Kagome inwardly winced.

Then suddenly out of nowhere, a masculine and muscular arm snaked its way around Kagome's waist. She had nearly jumped out of her skin when it had made contact with her, but for some strange reason, she had relaxed in its hold.

Tiny, loving kisses were placed along the side of her neck, as she instinctively tilted her head to the right; exposing the dip of her neckline, where her collarbone and neck were connected.

A deep, satisfied growl could be heard right behind her as the person leaned over to nibble at the spot of her neckline.

Involuntarily a moan escaped Kagome lips.

"Hey, idiot! Are you going to stop daydreaming or what?"

Kagome blinked from her lying position on the floor as she gazed at the angry set of green eyes from across her. She knitted her brows together in confusion as she sat up and studied the scene in front of her.

The dark room was barely lit with the exception of sunlight peeking through underneath a cloth-covered door. She immediately recognized that she was indeed in Kaede's hut, but in front of her were two people sitting back to back; bounded together with a large beaded rosary.

She immediately recognized their outlines, despite the fact that she had only known them for a couple of days.

"I don't know what kind of joke you're trying to pull, but this really isn't funny! My ass is numb from sitting here for too damn long!" Sakura spat.

"Alright, alright," Kagome sighed irritably as she crawled over to the two captives.

"How long have you two been there for?" Kagome asked as she searched for a knot.

Shiori shrugged as Sakura tilted her head back to rest it upon the other girl's head.

"We been awake for about two hours, but I'm assuming that we were here longer than this," Shiori said calmly.

"And your little partner ran off with some monk and a mutant cat! She didn't even try to help us out," Sakura pouted.

Kagome was almost ready to pull off the rosary, when a rush of people burst into the room.

"No, no, no, no, no! They're bad," Kaname shouted. Miroku stepped from behind her with Shippo on his shoulder and nodded wisely.

"Their aura is flaring with evil. They may have been connected with the disappearances and deaths of some of the village's families," Miroku said firmly as Shippo jumped down and ran over to Kagome.

"W-what?" Kagome stammered. She hugged Shippo briefly before he hopped up on her shoulders and embraced her around her neck.

"Yeah, 'Kaasan. They were found last night," Shippo said.

Sango also stepped from behind Kaname with her arms folded.

"Someone had found all of you unconscious outside in different areas of the village last night. You were in front of Kaede's hut, while Kaname was near the rice field. But these two were discovered near an area where the most recent victims were found dead in their homes," Sango accused.

Sakura glared at the woman before her.

"What? Are you accusing us of murdering someone? Just because we have a different aura, doesn't mean that we woul-"

"There's no way that Kaname and Kagome would do something like that! Besides you two were closer to the houses anyway," Sango retorted.

Kagome stood up and away from the two on the floor; staring at their faces.

Did those two killed the people that they're talking about? There's no way…

"How long has this been going on?" Kagome asked as she refused to take her eyes off of them.

"Four days ago…when you had left to go home," Miroku stated.

"But we just woke up two hours ago!" Sakura cried.

"Even if they are different, I highly doubt that they could've done something like that. Right, Kaname?" Kagome urged, as she looked at her friend's chocolate eyes.

Kaname shrugged indifferently.

"I guess so. But you have to admit, it was their fault that we all ended up here in the first place."

Shiori tilted her head to the side, out of curiosity.

"I merely provided a way to escape. I had no idea that we would end up…wherever we are," She said harmlessly. "Where are we, anyway?"

Kagome glanced back at the two captives. "I'll explain later."

She then turned her attention back to her friends. "They've saved our lives twice, the least we could do is to let them go." She insisted.

Kaname frowned. "I'm still mad about that line-thing. I think they're fine where they are."

Sakura struggled angrily against the rosary. "Are you serious? You're going to let us sit here because of that?"

Kaname smirked. "We should."

Kagome offered a small smile to the pair on the floor as she kneeled down to help. "But we won't."

"I don't think that's for you to decide," A cold voice stated.

Everyone instantaneously turned their heads in the direction of the voice, only to find two more people standing in the doorway.

Kagome's mood soured as soon as her eyes connected with them when she slowly stood back up. Sango quietly walked over to her best friend and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder.

"To what do we owe this pleasure, Kikyo-sama? Inuyasha?" Sango scoffed.

Kagome inwardly smiled when Kikyo narrowed her eyes at the remark. She walked over from her position near the door and approached the two on the floor; her eyes never leaving Kagome's as she did.

Kagome raised her chin in defiance as Kikyo stood in front of her; both of them glaring into each other's eyes.

"These two are prisoners of the village and they are to remain as such." Kikyo said coldly.

"Listen! We. HAVE. NOT. DONE. ANYTHING!" Sakura yelled at Kikyo as she fought against the rosary.

Instantly, Inuyasha leapt from his place at the door and hopped in front of Kikyo in a protective manner.

Kagome's breath caught in her throat while her heart felt as though someone had ripped it out; he was protecting Kikyo…he was defending her.

He had chosen to stay by that cold woman's side.

"I dunno know who ya think are, but I'm not gonna let you talk to Kikyo like that!" Inuyasha threatened.

Sakura narrowed her eyes; refusing to back down.

"I don't fucking care! You release me right now or I swear to Kami that I will commit murder!" She screeched. Inuyasha had flattened his ears against his head due to the shrillness of her scream.

Shiori leaned back to stare at the group behind her. "She will try it, believe me."

Sango glanced down at her best friend only to notice that she was staring at the floor with her bangs covering her eyes.

"One night." Sango uttered.

Everyone turned their attention to Sango who still continued to glare at Kikyo during the brief clash.

"If we allow them to stay captive for one night, then we can see if they are truly the ones behind the murders." She explained.

Silence fell upon the entire hut as everyone pondered Sango's suggestion. Then after a few seconds, Miroku stood forward; silently acknowledging Sango's proposition.

"Kikyo-sama, I believe that it is worth a try," Miroku said earnestly.

Kikyo glanced from the two captives to Kagome, as if she they were conspiring against her. She seemed reluctant, but eventually she gave a quiet nod.

"One night," Kikyo stated before she turned to leave out of the hut; Inuyasha followed immediately behind, not saying a word.

Kagome felt heartbroken at the sight, and it seemed as though everyone in the room was aware of it. Shippo pressed his forehead against the back of Kagome's neck and gave her a warm hug.

Sango also leaned over and gave Kagome a small hug before gently placing an arm around her shoulder to escort her out of the hut. Kagome was still upset, but silently allowed Sango to lead her out.

Miroku and Kaname also turned to leave, but were stopped.

"What are we suppose to do in the meantime?" Sakura snapped.

Kaname peeked back at the two sitting on the floor and smirked.

"I guess you can take this time to become reacquainted with the floor."

And with that, they both left out; leaving the two captives alone in angry silence.

The rest of the day went by slowly with Sango, Kirara and Miroku hunting for meat. While Shippo, Kaname and Kagome gathered vegetables, water and rice. There were no sign of Kikyo and Inuyasha for the rest of the afternoon, in which Kagome was grateful, but the thought of them together was still killing her inside.

And for a while, Kagome could feel a small rage building up inside of her.

"A heart should never be broken…" Something from within said to her softly.

"Let it out."

Kagome shook her head, as if she was shaking out the thoughts in her head. She looked up to see the same pair of green eyes staring at her once again.

"You're angry and you should let it out. Otherwise, you're going to suffer even more," Sakura advised.

Shiori had fallen asleep hours ago, while Sakura had remained wide awake thinking to herself the entire time. Even when the monk had returned to bring back firewood and lit it, Sakura still remained silent in her thoughts amongst the casted shadows.

It was until Kagome arrived, that Sakura took interest in the other inhabitant in the room. Kagome had come in and stirred the stew that Sango and Kaname had prepped earlier, but she was doing it halfheartedly since she was preoccupied with her thoughts.

"It has something to do with that miko and hanyou, right?"

Kagome dropped the spoon that she was stirring with into the pot of stew.

"How do you know that?" Kagome asked quietly.

Sakura dropped her voice so low that only Kagome could hear. "Miko, you're so obvious. I could tell from the moment they came in here."

Kagome turned away and decided to focus back on her cooking.

"I don't know what you're talking about," She denied quickly as she began to stir the stew.

Sakura tilted her head back and chuckled darkly.

"Of course, you do. Everyone seems to know about it and even Shiori and I could sense it. But I don't blame you; the dead miko is a coldhearted bitch."

Kagome stopped stirring only to stare at Sakura once more, who still had her head tilted back.

"...You can sense that she's dead…?" She asked quietly.

Sakura chuckled again. "There are a lot of things that I can sense. I could teach you if you want."

Kagome hesitated, as she wondered what the consequences would be.

"…Somehow, that sounds like a bad idea," Kagome said warily.

"You're talking to a dark miko. Of course it sounds bad to you," Sakura said bluntly.

"I think I'm fine with what I have, thank you." Kagome said quietly as she returned to stirring the stew.

"But what is it? This thing that you have…do you even know what it is? How to use it?" Sakura questioned seriously.

Kagome fell silent as she was doing her best to ignore Sakura's proposal. There was some movement outside of the hut, and it was then that Sakura decided to whisper, just in case someone was eavesdropping.

"That dead bitch is standing in the way of your prize. You should take back what is yours…and the only way to do that is to defeat her. And in order for you to defeat her, you must become stronger than her. It is the only solution," Sakura whispered heatedly.

Kagome shook her head.

"There are other ways around it." She murmured.

"Like what? Wait for the bitch to suddenly drop dead out of nowhere? I think not, little miko. She has part of your soul…I can feel it. You have every reason to go after her and reclaim what is yours." Sakura whispered back as she sat back up to look Kagome in the eye; green clashed with blue-grey as they stared at each other.

Kagome glanced around the room before mumbling:

"I'm not the only one who wants her dead."

Sakura smirked; immediately knowing what she was implying.

"Clever little miko. Why dirty your hands, when someone else could do it for you?"

Kagome's face remained serious as she stood up to grab various clay bowls for everyone to eat from.

"I'm not like that," Kagome stated simply.

"But imagine if she was out of the picture. Your life would be so much better, so much easier," Sakura purred.

Kagome, who was reaching into a small box, paused.

Life would be a lot easier without Kikyo, wouldn't it?

"She should disappear, and then you could have what you want…" Something in the back of her mind said softly, as if to convince her.

Kagome shook her head again as she continued to grab the bowls. Something was bothering her…as though nails on a chalkboard were being scraped in the back of her mind.

"No, I wouldn't do something like that."

Sakura narrowed her eyes. "You wouldn't have to. The other person could just as easily get rid of her…and you would still remain pure."

"Absolutely not! Why would you even suggest something like that?" Kagome shouted defensively.

"Because this is what you want," The voice said; the irritating sound never ceasing, as it was slowly being drilled into Kagome's mind.

"It is what you want, right?" Sakura asked with a smirk upon her face as she gazed at the pained miko.

Kagome's head felt like it was going to split open because of the throbbing migraine she was developing. Her sight began to blur, as she was covered in a thin sheen of sweat and began to feel nauseous.

"This is what you want…what you desire, is it not?"

"No, t-this is not what I want!" Kagome yelled while tightly closing her eyes.

Please, stop it! Make it stop! Kagome pleaded with herself.

The smirk on Sakura's face grew into a vicious smile, as she watched the miko in front of her struggle with herself. Tiny sparks of power were flashing as Kagome's aura started to turn from a soft pink into a darker pink.

She dropped the clay bowl that she had in her hand onto the floor and as it shattered, Kagome placed both hands on her head in agony; willing the pain and the noise to stop.

Tears started to develop in her eyes, as an unsettling fear began to rise within her. She closed her eyes again, and the tears began to fall.

Please…

"Please…" Kagome pleaded softly.

"Are you alright, Kagome?" A familiar voice echoed within her mind.

"What?" Kagome asked it as she slowly opened her eyes.

And as she did, she came face to face with a concerned Sango.

"Are you alright?" Sango asked again as she stared into Kagome's face; checking her over. "You didn't touch your food."

Kagome glanced around, only to notice that everyone was no longer eating their food and was staring right at her. She quickly looked over at the dark corner where Sakura and Shiori were tied, only to find that they were sleeping against one another.

"Oh…yeah. I'm fine," Kagome said with a small smile. She looked down at her hand and realized that the stew in her bowl had gone cold. She secretly wondered how long she had been there like that.

"Oi, wench! Are ya gonna eat that or what?" Inuyasha called from across her.

Kagome looked up and quickly saw that Inuyasha wasn't eating alone…he was eating with her.

'A heart should never be broken…' The voice echoed from within her.

Kagome decided to ignore him and change the subject by turning back to Sango who was still eyeing her warily.

"Did they eat yet?" Kagome asked quietly as she gestured to the two captives.

"Um…no, they haven't," Sango answered quickly as she watched Kagome stand up and cross the room with her bowl of food. She really wasn't hungry and didn't want any food, but she didn't want to waste it either.

Kagome kneeled down in front of the sleeping pair and tapped them gently on the shoulders; both of them slowly stirred.

"Are you guys hungry?" She asked tenderly.

Sakura was to first to open her eyes, and as she did, Kagome noticed that they flashed a dangerous bright color red before going back to their normal shade of green.

"That's very kind of you," Shiori said sleepily.

"Yeah, little miko. That's really…thoughtful," Sakura said surprisingly.

"I'm sorry if it's a bit cold but-"

"It's alright. It's the thought that counts," Shiori assured as Sakura nodded.

"I'm just really surprised that Shiori hasn't tried to eat herself yet. Or me, for that matter," Sakura joked.

Shiori glared at her from over her shoulder, as Kagome scooped some of the stew onto the spoon. But just as she did, Inuyasha jumped up and stared out of the window with his ears twitching rapidly.

Kikyo stood up as well and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder out of concern, while Kagome looked on in sadness. Suddenly and simultaniously, everyone's head snapped up to stare out of the window as they began to sense something.

Inuyasha was the first to approach the door carefully, and it was the first time that everyone had noticed that the entire village was completely silent outside. Inuyasha lifted the cloth covering the door and peeked his head outside to glance around. When he stepped back in, his face was that of deep concern.

"Something's not right," He said seriously. "I can't detect anything out there...my senses just go numb."

Miroku stood up, grabbed his staff and walked over to the door, cautiously. He pressed his back against the wall next to the door, and reached in his sleeve to pull out a seal.

He placed it between two of his fingers and did a brief chant, before placing the seal onto the cloth covered door.

"Whatever it is, it's hiding its aura pretty well," Miroku said. "It's really powerful, and it's obviously trying to search for us. But we're safe for now."

"It's still trying to mess with our auras and senses. I can feel it, " Shiori stated.

Sango rose from her spot and began to walk in another room to change into her exterminator outfit.

"Do you think it's Naraku?" Shippo asked worriedly.

Inuyasha shook his head. "Nah, Naraku's completley different from this."

Kagome turned back to look at the captives and noticed that Sakura had fallen asleep.

"What's wrong with her?" Kagome asked Shiori. She looked over her shoulder again to glance at her friend.

"She's surveying the area outside." Shiori said as Sango entered the room.

Everyone slowly began to make their way to the corner where the prisoners were and stood around the three on the floor, waiting intensely.

Then very slowly, Sakura opened her eyes and as she did, they flashed red again before settling into their normal color.

"Well?" Kikyo asked impatiently.

Sakura glared up at the cold miko. "He isn't here yet, but apparently he has already killed in another place and is on his way here. He's using his aura to surpress ours, so that he can kill more people."

Everyone silently exchanged looks with one another.

"What does he look like?" Sango asked carefully.

Sakura narrowed her eyes in thought, as she tried to remember what she saw.

"He's a youkai wearing a cloak. He was covering his face and aura. The only thing that I could do was to get inside of his head. He's in a forest somewhere nearby."

Inuyasha stiffened as he glanced back at the door. "We might as well stop him before he gets here."

"But how could we do that if he's trying to numb us? It would be foolish for us to fight an enemy who has that kind of advantage," Kaname said wisely.

Kikyo turned her back, walked towards the door and raised her hand in the air. Immediately, two soul collectors were summoned as she walked out of the door; Inuyasha ran after her, calling her name.

Kagome felt a sinking feeling in her heart as he did.

"Can you release us now?" Sakura asked irritably. Miroku nodded as he leaned over to pull off the giant rosary.

Kagome stood up and when she did, she reached out her hand for Shiori to help pull the other girl up. Sango also extended her hand to pull up Sakura.

"Thank you," Shiori said quietly as she and Sakura brushed themselves off.

"We need a plan," Kaname mused.

"Something quick and effective..." Sango trailed as she started to think.

"But we can't go out there, can we?" Shippo asked as he looked up to Kagome.

"I think I have a plan," Kagome said softly. Then she turned to look at the newly released mikos. "Do you think you could help us out?" She pleaded.

Both of them shrugged and exchanged looks.

"What do you have in mind, little miko?" Sakura asked suspiciously.

"Kikyo..wait!" Inuyasha yelled as he ran after her. The soul collectors were carrying her through the late night sky, towards Inuyasha's forest.

The closer they got to the forest, the more powerful the presence became. It was sinister, yet it was weaker than Naraku, which made Inuyasha confident that the demon would be easily dealt with. However, he was still concerned about Kikyo's safety...considering that she was already injured.

It was a few nights ago, when Inuyasha had discovered Kikyo wounded in his forest. He immediately went to help her and stayed with her until she was well enough to walk.

It was when he had returned to the village, that he had discovered that Kagome had already gone home. He knew that she was aware of the fact that he was with Kikyo, but he wanted to explain the reason why.

But it was harder to explain than that, because not only did he take care of Kikyo during those few days...he had already pre-marked her for mating.

He knew that Kagome would be upset if she found out, but he was merely waiting for the oppurtunity to get her alone with the intention to mark Kagome for his own.

Kikyo was already dead and could not produce pups, but Kagome was alive and well. Which meant that, she could easily produce strong, thriving pups for him and thus, he would have a wonderful family with everything he could ever want.

Kikyo was aware of what Inuyasha was trying to do, and was not upset with him. Clearly, he was in love with both of them and could never choose between them.

However, claiming them would require him to mate them at the same time, in which she believed that Kagome would strongly object to.

Kikyo no longer harbored any hatred towards the young miko, but was rather annoyed by the fact that Kagome could never fully understand Inuyasha's intentions.

But eventually, they would have to get along for Inuyasha's sake, something that Kikyo had acknowledged a few nights ago.

"Kikyo, watch out!" Inuyasha shouted.

Kikyo blinked out of her musings, but only to realize that she was too late as the youkai leapt up in the air to claw at her and her soul collectors; she never stood a chance.

Instantly, she fell and as she did, Inuyasha hopped in the air to catch her.

"Kikyo," He said softly as he landed onto the grass.

"I'm fine. It's not a deep wound," She lied. Inuyasha watched as the youkai landed in front of him. He quickly hopped over to a tree to gently place Kikyo down and rushed back to fight him.

He quickly pulled out the Tetsusaiga and charged angrily towards the offender.

"YOU BASTARD!"

Sakura's head snapped to the direction of the forest.

"Your friends are injured." She warned quietly as she stared back at Shiori, the monk and taijiya who were kneeling across from them.

Kagome, Kaname and Shippo who were kneeling silently behind her, slowly began to panic as they moved a little closer for more protection.

Kagome was nervously holding her bow in her hand, when she looked at Sango and Miroku worriedly as Shiori whispered the same thing Sakura said. Their faces immediately were concerned.

They were all hiding in between the huts, behind rice barrels as they were quietly waiting for the youkai to arrive, so that they could ambush him.

Shippo had placed several seals on various objects inside of Kaede's hut with each of their auras and scents on them, to give the impression that they were hiding there. While outside, Shiori had hid all of them under a protection spell as they waited; protecting them from the numbing feeling that was surrounding the area.

Kagome watched as Shiori turned around to whisper something else to her friends and then turned back to nod at Sakura, who nodded right back.

"Get ready," She warned. Everyone held on to their weapons tightly; Kagome with her bow while Kaname held her arrows, Miroku with his staff, and Sango with her Hiraikotsu.

Everyone watched as Shiori produced two daggers out of thin air, while Sakura produced a large scythe.

Kaede's hut was several feet from them and it was easy for Sakura and Shiori to see the youkai entering the hut. But just as quickly as it entered, it exited and slowly began to walk down the path towards them.

Shiori nodded again as everyone prepared themselves to jump out. Sakura stood up and quickly leaned against the wall, hiding in the shadows. She held her scythe in her left hand, while she raised two fingers with her right.

They began to glow a soft orange before she made a quick horizontal slash in the air; the youkai stopped walking and was standing before them; frozen on the spot.

Shiori and Sango jumped out first.

Shiori charged forward, armed with her daggers as she intended to stab the youkai in the heart. But she quickly found out that the cloaked youkai was well protected with an under armor, as the daggers bounced off of his chest with a clang.

Instantly, Shiori ducked and jumped back as Sango threw her Hiraikotsu at him, but it also failed to hit the frozen youkai because it had managed to put up a shield.

Sakura's fingers began to glow red as she placed them onto the blade of her scythe. She then charged out after motioning Kagome and Kaname to join her.

Sango stepped back as Sakura lauched foward with her glowing scythe.

"*Kamashi! *Bunsan sa seru!" Sakura shouted fiercely. She swung her glowing weapon with all of her might and shattered the barrier as it connected.

Kagome immediately saw an oppurtunity and held out her hand for a bow. Kaname clenched the bow in her hand until it glowed a bright green from her aura. She quickly and carefully placed it in Kagome's hand and watched as she aimed it at frozen youkai.

Kagome's own aura began to surround her bow before she released the arrow and as it hit, the youkai disintergrated as he was being purified.

Instantly, the aura around them that was creating the silence disappeared and everything seemed have to gone back to normal; dogs were barking and the crickets began to chirp again.

Sakura stepped out as the weapon in her hand vanished. She approached the two mikos and patted them on the back.

"Nice work, but I think we need to find the dog and his bitch," Sakura said as everyone gathered together.

"Agreed. Let's go," Miroku said before he started to run to the forest. He stopped when he had noticed no one was following him.

"Monk, there's a faster way to get to them," Sakura said as she raised two purple glowing fingers.

"INUYASHA!" Kagome screamed as she stepped out of the purple line and rushed towards a bloody pile; the smell of blood hit her nose, despite the fact that she had human senses.

Inuyasha was bleeding profusely on the grass and as Kagome stood over him, she noticed that he had several gashes on his arm as well as a large hole through his chest.

The blood around him had soaked into his white hair, staining it crimson.

Kagome's eyes began to tear up at the sight of him.

"Kikyo-sama?" Miroku asked as he approached the unconscious miko. She also had a gash and was bleeding, but it didn't seem as bad as Inuyasha's wound, yet it was enough to make her unconscious.

Just as Kagome extended her hands to help heal Inuyasha, Shiori ran over to her and pulled her away; Sango did the same thing as she ran to Miroku.

"Something's coming and it's really fast," Shiori said quickly as she tried to pull Kagome back.

"No, please just let me heal him!" She cried as she was resisting Shiori. In the meantime, Sakura managed to create another purple line to escape.

"We need to get out of here, now! We'll come back for them late-"

Kagome looked back, just in time to see Sakura lying face down on the ground, with a cloaked figure holding her wrists behind her while standing on top of her back.

Instantly, everyone was on the ground face down with cloaked figures standing on their backs to hold them in place. Their grip on their wrists were powerful enough to crush them, but instead they were all developing bruises.

"So the youkai had friends, huh?" Sakura sneered as she struggled.

Slowly, a speck of white light descended from the night sky and landed silently next to a bleeding Inuyasha.

The light grew brighter as it took a glowing form of a man. And as soon as the the light grew brighter, it suddenly disappeared.

The light revealed a tall, slender man with short, dark hair and a young face. He was wearing a black kimono that had purple diamond patterns on his top left shoulder and wore a purple and white obi, which was above his black hakama and boots.

His dark hazel eyes narrowed at the scene in front of him.

"Are these the ones responsible for Kenta's death?" He asked the youkai around him.

They all nodded as the group of friends struggled underneath them.

"They're the ones, Changmin-sama. I saw them with my own eyes," The one on top of Sakura said.

"An interesting group of travelers...although, I don't know what you were thinking when you killed one of our own. It was a fatal mistake on your part," Changmin said as he looked down at the bloodied hanyou. He shook his head in disgust.

"Who would've guessed that the son of the Great Dog Demon traveled with such a variety of interesting beings. I wasn't even aware of the fact that he was still alive," He mused.

"Changmin-sama, what should we do with them?" The youkai on top of Kaname asked.

Changmin debated for a moment as he paced carefully in between the captives on the ground. Kagome stared at Inuyasha with tears in her eyes; silently praying that he wasn't dying.

She only blinked when she had noticed a pair of black boots were in her line of sight, blocking her from seeing Inuyasha.

"Unfortunately, we cannot execute them here, considering that we are on the Western Lord's territory. But because they have killed one of our own, we must take them back to our lands, so that our lord could deliver the punishment."

He then leaned over to grab Inuyasha by the hair and proceeded to drag him along the grass carelessly, leaving a smear of blood in his wake. Another youkai grabbed Kikyo by her wrists and also dragged her along as he followed.

But before any of the other youkai began to leave, they delivered a swift blow to the back of their captive's heads; causing all of them to blackout as they were also being dragged along.

Kagome's last thoughts lingered on Inuyasha's health, as she felt guilty for not being there and healing him in time.

The thing that worried her the most was the fact that she did not even see him breathe...

Not one single breath had left Inuyasha's body...

The image of his lifeless body was permanantly engraved into Kagome's mind.

Please Kami...help him...

*Kamashi (Sakura's weapon)- Scythe of death

*Bunsan sa seru (An attack that destroy barriers)- Disperse


End file.
